Loss
by Psyche M. Arcana
Summary: AU, Ganon Link, shounenai, yaoi Often the winds of change are driven by loss....but is there a way to change the flow?


**Disclaimer:**I don't own Legend of Zelda or any of the characters associated with it.

**Random notes: **Sorry about the lack of info about the characters; my computer decided to become an evil dictator and thus froze as I was posting this story. So now that technology is once again on my side, I'm updating the fic. The story is told by a very young Ganon and takes place in an alternate universe, hence the fact that Link and Ganon are both children when they first meet. And yes, "He" is who you think he is. Thank you and enjoy the show...story...thing... ::nervously munches on strawberry Pocky:: This is only my first fic; it will improve, given time.

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_**Loss**_

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It had been over four weeks since I left home....

...Today marked the start of my eleventh year.....

'_...What a way to celebrate._

I'd been wandering through these woods, lost, for some time now. I don't exactly remember how I got here.

When I think back, I see only the faintest wisps of what happened.....

'_It had been seven days since I left... I was being pursued..._

My memory shows my pursuers as shadowy and vague.....I've no clue what they truly looked like... I don't even remember _why_ I was being followed.....

The clearest part of my recollection is the point where I fell, then, the biting cold of water and the desperate pains of drowning.....

'_...But alas, the reliability of my memory has fallen victim to the delusions and waking dreams that have begun to plague me these last few days or so.'_

I shook free of my thoughts and stopped my slow progress as I entered a small clearing; something was wrong.

A familiar feeling.

I turned around quickly, nearly losing my balance in the process.....

...no one there.

It was probably just another of my hallucinations. I stood there, swaying unsteadily, for a bit longer just to be sure, and then resumed my weary search for a way out of the forest.

As I stumbled onward -dirty, bedraggled, hungry, I heard a shout, "Oy, red!"

I was annoyed by the comment about my hair; for some reason the fact that my hair was red and my eyes a fiery orange seemed to amuse some people. The anger flared in me. I turned around too swiftly and fell to my knees. My starved body could do nothing to soften my fall and the shock of my impact sent waves of pain through my legs up to my lower back, making me cringe. I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out and alerting whoever was following me of my injury.

_'...I've weakened so much this past month..._

'_...I left home because I was weak... I wanted to be stronger..._

_'...Now I've hurt myself simply by falling...._

The footsteps were getting closer..... There was more than one person approaching. I looked up and saw three thieves walking toward me. I hastily stood and held on to a nearby tree for support.

I could see them better now; the first thief was tall with long black hair that hung loose about his shoulders and down to his mid back. He looked relatively more well-groomed than the other two; his black trousers and white shirt were not only free of dirt, but looked freshly washed. His hair and skin also looked as if they'd been cleansed not to long ago.

The second thief was the tallest of the three. He was also the most muscular; he was almost ridiculously muscular. It was as if he was trying to make up for the scrawniness of the third thief..... His black hair was clipped extremely short; it seemed this man liked to overdo everything. ...He too was clean, but not to the same extent as the first thief.

The diminutive third thief, on the other hand, was covered in dirt and had greasy chin-length brown hair that hung in slimy clumps around his slick, oily face. Even the three weeks worth of dirt in my hair was nothing in comparison to the grime in his; I don't think he'd ever washed his hair...or _bathed_ for that matter. There was no telling if his mud brown attire had started out that way, or if _he'd_ soiled them beyond reprieve. Every thing about him was the same shade of brown; I was beginning to wonder if he wasn't some sort of......_ dust_ creature... borne of earth... His stench reached my nose and I gagged. It was more likely he was created from a great pile of animal droppings...

...I felt like I would vomit.

"Red!" the first thief called out to me again as I struggled to hold back the wave of nausea brought on by his companion.

'_Yes, my hair _is_ red. We've established that. ......Bloody stupid or something.'_

They were close enough now for me to see their faces more clearly; the first thing I noticed was the unusual color of the first thief's eyes. His eyes were a very pale blue; they were almost white.

...He was beginning to remind me of a wolf. He had a strong resemblance to the animal...even his smile was wolf-like...

I looked at his fellow thieves... they all had that smile...

...They were _all_ smiling...

Something about their smiles disturbed me and made my stomach churn uncomfortably... but I never thought to run until it was too late.

Within seconds, the thieves were standing before me.

"Hello there, little one!" the first thief said, "What's a pretty thing like you doing way out here?" he playfully looked around, "Are you all alone, sweetest?" he asked smirking.

The living mound of filth was staring at me, "What's wrong with her eyes?"

'"Her eyes?!_" More comments about my features! And he thinks I'm a _girl_?!...... His own stench must have finally got to him; it's probably rotting through his brain and leaving a putrid, partially digested liquid in his vile skull....._

'_There's that nausea again._

The first thief elbowed the third to shut him up. "If you're lost, darling, we can _help_ you," he suggested and grinned at his companions.

"Wait a minute, Kade," the second thief addressed the first, "I think she's a 'he'..."

"What?" Kade looked me over, "Arata, she's clearly female," he said to the second, then pulled me over to face the shit creature he called a partner. "Diren?" Diren squinted at me for a moment, and then shrugged.

By this point I was not only annoyed; I was angry.

'_So they think I'm a girl... and the hulking meat sack is the only one who realizes I'm not? Why does my gender matter so much to them? ...What exactly do these men want with me?_

Suddenly a realization came over me, _They think I'm a girl.....' my stomach dropped, '...Are they going to-....?!_

I was violently brought back to reality by Arata yanking my trousers off. "See? He's a boy"

I shrieked and tried to pull my trousers up again, but Kade shoved me to the ground and pulled out a small triangular blade. He walked slowly, menacingly toward me.

"Darling, do you know what you have done?" he asked.

I shook my head slowly.

"You've made me angry, precious," he said through clenched teeth before striking me on the top of my head. "Do you know _why_ I'm angry?" I kept still and silent, fearing more injury.

Kade knelt down and straddled me. I tried to escape, but he violently grasped my throat with one hand and slammed me to the ground. "You deceived me, sweetest," he drove his fist down hard into my stomach. "You made me believe you were a girl, when you're really just a very pretty little boy." Even though I was afraid of being hurt, a part of me wanted to correct him, just to see what he would do. "Well," he shrugged dramatically, "I suppose a _boy_ is better than _nothing_... especially a boy as pretty as _you_ are, sweetest." He dragged the broad side of his blade along my jaw as he said this. As the blade neared my chin, he took his hand from around my neck and placed it on the ground. "But you can redeem yourself!" there was a strange look in his eyes; like he wanted something from me... wanted _me. _He pressed the sharp edge of the blade to my throat. "Take off your clothes."

I spat at him.

'_...Bad idea.'_

He bought the knife down close to my head, slicing my ear. "Do you think you're funny? I'll show you something funny!" he struck me hard across the face, "Not funny enough for you? How about this!" he brought his leg forward as hard as he could; I screamed out and convulsed in a spasm of pain as his knee smashed into my groin.

They were laughing at me.

Kade yanked me up by my hair; I felt clumps it come loose from the ferocity of his movements. He ripped open my shirt and tore the rest of my clothes from my bruised body.

I felt his hardness dig into my thigh as he drew close to me.

"And I _know _you'll enjoy _this._"

He slashed through my left shoulder with the knife, and I rolled partway onto my side clutching at the wound.

More laughter.

Kade threw his knife aside and crushed me down onto my back. He pried my legs open, and lay between them as I fought to push him off of me. He managed to pin my left arm to the ground, but he couldn't get a hold on the other. I tried to punch him in the jaw, but he dug his fingers into the wound on my shoulder as I did so, lessening the blow.

I was too weak to struggle for much longer...even though he was now unarmed, there was no way I'd be able to overpower him... let alone his cronies.

He pinned my right arm down.

While his right arm held both of mine down, he reached down with his left hand and undid his trousers, "Are you ready, _sweetest, _for my greatest moment of comedic glory?" His voice had lost all humor.

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....Kade had only forced himself partway inside of me when _He_ appeared. He ran toward us and slid in a half kneel, right foot on the ground ahead of Him, to an abrupt halt near my right side.

...His left knee pressed against my shoulder...as if to reassure me...

Kade was too startled to react before He released the band of His slingshot, sending a rock straight into Kade's left eye. Kade leapt backwards, hands to his eye, and started screaming for help. Arata charged forward and grabbed for Him. He dodged, but Arata caught His legs and lifted Him into the air upside down, shaking Him violently. I had to help Him somehow...

...I noticed Kade's knife lying nearby...

Arata was distracted..... Now was my chance.

I grabbed the blade as I ran at them and drove it to the hilt in Arata's chest. Arata stared down at the bloodied blade and released Him. He fell to the floor with a thud as Arata stumbled backward and collapsed, dead.

I'd hit my mark.

Suddenly He lurched forward and pulled me on top of Him as Diren slammed his fists down on the spot where I'd been crouching.

...Lying on top of Him, our legs intertwined, His arms wrapped gently around me, I became all too aware of my nudity. My heart began to beat faster.

I felt my cheeks flush.

Not only was I lying naked atop Him....but He was smiling up at me. I broke free of His grasp _...embrace?_ and sat a few feet away, pulling the tattered remains of what was once my shirt tightly around myself in a feeble attempt to hide my nudity.

...My face was burning.

Diren shook his hands for a moment, trying to lessen the pain from slamming his hands against part of a tree root that was hidden in the grass, then came at us again.

He wrenched Kade's blade from Arata's corpse, placed it in His slingshot, and took aim.

Blood spurted from the gaping wound in the right side of Diren's neck showering me with sparkling droplets of his warm, dark, sticky blood. It was beautiful in a strange way...

'_Am I enjoying watching Diren bleed to death?_ Diren shakily continued coming toward us, but stopped short and crumpled to the ground, unconscious from blood loss.

He looked around, and I followed His gaze... Kade was no where to be found.

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He helped me to my feet and moved my hands away from my shirt. Carefully, he slid the shredded, blood-spattered garment from my shoulders. His right hand lingered on my left arm, just above the gash caused be Kade's knife, and his left hand moved from my shoulder to glide slowly down my bare chest. The blush was rising to my cheeks once again. I flinched when his hand passed across my bruised stomach and he stopped. He looked up at me, and it was then that I realized he was looking for wounds. I was ashamed that I'd thought other wise, and looked away. He straightened and smiled at me. I felt him brush my hair away from the cut on my ear... but then he placed his hand lightly on the other side of my face and gently turned my head toward him again.

His hand lingered there... his thumb brushed my lower lip...

'_...Now _that _isn't looking for wounds..._

He pulled his hand away.

'_Does he know what I was thinking?_

I looked at him again...his gaze had shifted downward....

He suddenly crouched in front of me and reached out to touch my inner thigh. I jumped a little from shock and he stood up. There was blood on his fingertips;_ my_ blood... Kade must have made me bleed when he tried to-...

I shuddered inwardly at the thought.

I looked into His eyes; He looked so worried. I was bruised and torn, but not badly hurt. Still, he was concerned.

"...You're cute when you're worried..."

'_Crap! I didn't mean to say that out loud!_

He seemed shocked. My face was starting to feel hot again. I looked away, embarrassed.

'_Laughter..._

He was laughing...

I turned toward him again, surprised. He smiled at me and giggled once more before clasping my hand and leading my off into the woods.

I grew concerned, wondering where he was taking me.

When I heard the sound of a stream nearby I relaxed; he was taking me there to clean up. He led me to the glimmering waters and motioned for me to wait on a large rock at the waters edge before disappearing into the woods.

A few minutes later he emerged holding my clothes and Kade's blade. He set my things down beside me on the rock before quickly rinsing the blade clean in the water. After cleansing the blade, he disrobed and led me into the waters of the stream. He began to bathe me.

I didn't even know his name; he hadn't spoken a word since he first showed up....and now he was bathing me...we were bathing _together_. I was sure that if I submerged my burning face in the water, steam would rise up around me...or rather, _us_.

I thought he might have sensed how awkward this felt for me because he stopped suddenly. I slowly turned around to look at him; he was standing completely still in the waist deep water...staring at me. There was a strange look in his eyes...he wanted something from me; Kade had looked at me that way. I swallowed hard.

He splashed me.

When I wiped the water from my eyes he was standing there with that same blank expression and the same look in his eyes. I started to get angry with him.

He splashed me again and just as quickly returned to staring at me...but this time I saw a hint of a smile. As my anger at him grew he had a harder and harder time trying not to laugh. Soon he was making small snorting noises as he struggled to hold his laughter in and maintain the stare.

I crossed my arms and glared at him. What was so friggin hilarious?

He couldn't hold it in any longer. "Snnch... You're cute when you're angry..."

The corner of my mouth twitched and I couldn't help but grin a little...

...His first words...followed by a gale of uncontrollable laughter at my expense...

I tackled him.

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_**To Be Continued**_

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End file.
